Chapter 924: There's Still Another Way

Ao Jing saw that Shan Shan's eyes were full of sincerity.

Although Shan Shan understood that Ao Jing was risking his life to accompany a gentleman, moved as she was, she could hardly contain herself.

Why not… go in and have a look?

Anyway, we have four hours; she could just take a loop and then pull Ao Jing out.

Thinking this, Shan Shan made up her mind, took Ao Jing's hand again, and urged: "Alright, I'll bring you in to look, but you must stay close to me the whole way—outside it doesn't look big, but inside the actual area is huge; if you get lost, you're in trouble."

Ao Jing smiled: "Don't worry, I won't get lost."

"No laughing! Be serious!" Shan Shan said solemnly, "After entering the Spirit Mirror World, although it looks the same as outside, it's actually on a different plane; there's a barrier above it, so don't think about getting lost and then flying up to a visible spot to let the other side locate you quickly—you simply can't fly up."

This indeed surprised Ao Jing.

But he wasn't worried: "Within a hundred meters, I can precisely lock onto your aura, Shan Shan; even if you get lost, just stay where you are and give me a moment, and I will surely find you."

Shan Shan froze for a moment.

For some reason, when Ao Jing said those words, she inexplicably felt her heart tremble.

It was an indescribable feeling that made Shan Shan feel unfamiliar yet deeply moved…

For a while, she didn't know how to respond to Ao Jing, so she nodded absentmindedly, one hand pulling Ao Jing, the other forming hand signs and chanting a spell, and immediately led him into the Spirit Mirror.

As soon as Ao Jing stepped into the Spirit Mirror, he immediately felt what Shan Shan had said—"outside it looks small, inside it's vast"—describing it as "boundless territory" would not be an exaggeration.

Snow everywhere, temperature very low; even cultivators who aren't afraid of the cold will shiver if they enter unexpectedly.

But they soon adapted.

Not only the temperature, but their eyes also felt uncomfortable.

The snow was too white, glaring and hurting their eyes.

Shan Shan closed and opened her eyes several times before slowly getting used to it.

Ao Jing fared much better—he… was well-traveled and knowledgeable.

"The last time I was thrown in for training, I encountered a snow-pattern leopard in that mountain range." Shan Shan pointed to a valley on the right and said, "I walked for ages, didn't even see a bird dropping, thinking there were no living things here, but I unexpectedly ran into a snow-pattern leopard just before leaving—it was two meters long, its height level with my chest, its fur base black but covered in large areas of snowy white spots; from afar it almost blended with the mountain's snow…"

Shan Shan led Ao Jing toward the direction where she had previously encountered the snow-pattern leopard, all the while recounting the encounter.

During this process, Ao Jing also observed the surrounding scenery.

He needed to orient himself to avoid losing direction in this snowy mountain.

But he soon found it difficult to pinpoint his location.

First, although the snow underfoot was thick, a step sank only to the ankle, making a creaking sound.

Yet if he looked back, there wasn't even a half footprint to be seen.

Second, the mountain range appeared to have a shape, but its surface was covered in thick snow; a slight breeze would alter the mountain's silhouette, including the trees on it.

All these signs indicated that the world within the Spirit Mirror was far stranger than what they saw.

In the dark, it seemed as if an invisible force was controlling all of this.

Ao Jing held his breath, focused, and released his own Dragon Qi to probe the life aura in this forest.

According to Shan Shan's description, aside from the snow-pattern leopard, there were no other living beings in this area.

But when Ao Jing probed to a certain depth with his Dragon Qi and Spiritual Power, he felt a tremendous surge of life force.

However, this life force seemed to be suppressed, making it hard for outsiders to detect.

Ao Jing made no fuss; he gathered his Dragon Qi and Spiritual Power and continued following Shan Shan forward.

Walking like this would be tiring, but flying is forbidden in the Spirit Mirror, restricting them to honest walking; only by slowly scouting ahead could they increase their chances of meeting the snow-pattern leopard.

Ao Jing kept calculating the time.

After all, in such an environment, both senses and the concept of time are infinitely weakened.

Moreover, even if the snow-pattern leopard had passed nearby, they might overlook it, because this snowy region leaves no trace at all, not even footprints.

Thus they walked aimlessly for an hour and a half, having traversed the valley where Shan Shan had previously encountered the snow-pattern leopard, yet found no trace.

They weren't actually that tired; both had decent cultivation levels and greater endurance.

But futile effort always leaves one feeling a bit disheartened.

Especially under a time limit.

Shan Shan leaned against a nearby large tree, somewhat vexed: "I thought it had appeared around here, its den should be nearby, but now it seems I overestimated."

Ao Jing walked over and naturally helped knead Shan Shan's shoulders.

After thinking, he said: "Actually there's another 'not-a-method' method; want to give it a try?"

Shan Shan raised her eyebrows, quite interested: "What method? Tell me."

"We can intimidate the snow-pattern leopard." Ao Jing said mysteriously, "For example… like this…"

The next moment, Ao Jing cupped his hands like a horn and let out an earth-shaking… Dragon Roar… toward the distant forest.

This Dragon Roar had tremendous penetrating power; its waves overlapped in the forest, sending large sheets of snow fluttering down—let alone the creatures hidden in the woods, Shan Shan felt her ears go deaf for half a second.

After emitting that Dragon Roar, Ao Jing immediately crouched, lowered his body, and pressed his ear to the snow to listen carefully.

Shan Shan dared not even breathe, adjusted her state, then imitated Ao Jing, pressing her ear to the snow.

Soon Shan Shan heard a series of footsteps—some close, some far; though not many, she could tell that this snowy region held far more living beings than just one snow-pattern leopard.

This discovery instantly delighted Shan Shan.

At that moment, Ao Jing had already stood up, reached out and pulled Shan Shan, saying: "The nearest living creature is heading toward the northwest corner, less than three hundred meters from us—Shan Shan, give me your hand."

Shan Shan immediately extended her right hand, and the next moment it was firmly gripped in Ao Jing's big hand; borrowing his forward momentum, she swiftly chased toward the northwest corner.

Within less than half a minute, the two were already over three hundred meters out, having advanced another two hundred meters or so, when a huge snow-pattern leopard suddenly appeared in Shan Shan's sight.

That snow-pattern leopard was larger than the one she had encountered during her previous training.

I don't know whether it had grown rapidly in this time, or whether it was another one…